The Beginning of the Palmach
Since the foundation of the Hagana in 1920, its active members and commanders sought to establish an independent national enlisted force that would secure the Zionist settlement in Israel.
Since the foundation of the Hagana in 1920, its active members and commanders sought to establish an independent national enlisted force that would secure the Zionist settlement in Israel. Due to the Hagana's existence as an underground organization, this course was not pursued until the decision was made by the national Hagana HQ at its meeting on 15.5.41 – to establish a national enlisted force to be named 'The Striking Force' (Plugot Hamachatz.)
The order to found the Palmach (Emergency -Order No. 2) was part of a series of decisions made by the National HQ regarding an over-all organizational change in the Hagana, which was accepted –in the absence of representatives from the "Civilian Group." The order stated that a - nationwide combat reserve force (– as opposed to a militia force) would be established and subordinated to - national command (–as opposed to -regional - command.)
The Palmach ascribed its primary battle legacy to two military operations that occurred soon after its inception: The loss of 23 Hagana members, who drowned on the way to a sabotage mission in Lebanon with (their) a British escort (18.5.41), and have never been found. The second - was patrol and sabotage operations that led to the Australian army's invasion - of Syria and Lebanon on 7.6.41. These operations comprised Palmach detachments composed of early recruited members, which later became A and B Companies.
The beginning of the Palmach was one of the manifestations of the cooperation established between Britain and the Jewish Yishuv in () Palestine (Eretz-Israel) during World War II. It was preceded by a tradition of Zionist–British cooperation even before Britain ruled Palestine (when it offered Uganda to the Zionist Movement in 1904, as a political-territorial solution, and on the eve of their invasion of the country, when they published the Balfour Declaration in 1917). Military cooperation had also taken place before: enlistment in the Jewish Battalions of the British army during the First World War (1915 - 1919), recruiting Hebrew Guards for the Mandate police and founding the Special Night Squads during the Arab Riots (1936 - 1939), when the British and the Hagana had a common interest in ending the Arab aggression.
The main manifestation of the common interests was enlistment in the various units of the British army and the Jewish Brigade at the end of the war. Alongside recruitment, cooperation focusing primarily on intelligence also existed between the Jewish Agency and British military. This cooperation was called the "Secret Cooperation.", Part of it included intelligence activity by Hagana members in Syria and Lebanon against the German--led Vichy government, which - became the "Syrian - Scam" (S.S.). Later, military cooperation was established in order to prepare resistance to the Axis (German-Italian-Japan) armies should they invade Eretz Israel. This was part of the Palestine Scam (P.S.) and later the Palestine Post-Occupation Scam (P.P.O.S).
The order to found the Palmach (Emergency -Order No. 2) was part of a series of decisions made by the National HQ regarding an over-all organizational change in the Hagana, which was accepted –in the absence of representatives from the "Civilian Group." The order stated that a - nationwide combat reserve force (– as opposed to a militia force) would be established and subordinated to - national command (–as opposed to -regional - command.)
The Palmach ascribed its primary battle legacy to two military operations that occurred soon after its inception: The loss of 23 Hagana members, who drowned on the way to a sabotage mission in Lebanon with (their) a British escort (18.5.41), and have never been found. The second - was patrol and sabotage operations that led to the Australian army's invasion - of Syria and Lebanon on 7.6.41. These operations comprised Palmach detachments composed of early recruited members, which later became A and B Companies.
The beginning of the Palmach was one of the manifestations of the cooperation established between Britain and the Jewish Yishuv in () Palestine (Eretz-Israel) during World War II. It was preceded by a tradition of Zionist–British cooperation even before Britain ruled Palestine (when it offered Uganda to the Zionist Movement in 1904, as a political-territorial solution, and on the eve of their invasion of the country, when they published the Balfour Declaration in 1917). Military cooperation had also taken place before: enlistment in the Jewish Battalions of the British army during the First World War (1915 - 1919), recruiting Hebrew Guards for the Mandate police and founding the Special Night Squads during the Arab Riots (1936 - 1939), when the British and the Hagana had a common interest in ending the Arab aggression.
The main manifestation of the common interests was enlistment in the various units of the British army and the Jewish Brigade at the end of the war. Alongside recruitment, cooperation focusing primarily on intelligence also existed between the Jewish Agency and British military. This cooperation was called the "Secret Cooperation.", Part of it included intelligence activity by Hagana members in Syria and Lebanon against the German--led Vichy government, which - became the "Syrian - Scam" (S.S.). Later, military cooperation was established in order to prepare resistance to the Axis (German-Italian-Japan) armies should they invade Eretz Israel. This was part of the Palestine Scam (P.S.) and later the Palestine Post-Occupation Scam (P.P.O.S).